Poznan Zoo (New) Gay elephant?

E

Elly

Well-Known Member
This is so weird:

Polish politician fumes over gay elephant in zoo | Lifestyle | Reuters


WARSAW (Reuters) - A Polish politician has criticized his local zoo for acquiring a "gay" elephant named Ninio who prefers male companions and will probably not procreate, local media reported on Friday.

"We didn't pay 37 million zlotys ($11 million) for the largest elephant house in Europe to have a gay elephant live there," Michal Grzes, a conservative councilor in the city of Poznan in western Poland, was quoted as saying.

"We were supposed to have a herd, but as Ninio prefers male friends over females how will he produce offspring?" said Grzes, who is from the right-wing opposition Law and Justice party.

The head of the Poznan zoo said 10-year-old Ninio may be too young to decide whether he prefers males or females as elephants only reach sexual maturity at 14.

(Reporting by Chris Borowski; editing by Andrew Roche)

- I have added the link, because otherwise I wouldn't believe myself
 
More here Mailonline.

A Polish zoo is under fire - for having a 'gay' elephant.

Officials at the zoo in Poznan, western Poland, claims to have built the largest elephant house in Europe at a cost of 37million zlotys (£8million).

However, their attempts to increase the size of zoo's elephant herd have run into difficulties after the revelation that ten-year-old African Bush elephant, Ninio, is homosexual.
Ninio the elephant

Troublemaker: Councillors say Ninio the elephant was meant to breed but appears to be gay as he prefers the company of men to women

The bull has had to change zoos three times in the past five years because of his aggressive behaviour toward female elephants.

His attitude towards his male counterparts however has been described as 'affectionate'.

'He only liked his buddies and hit the cows with his trunk, and was very disrespectful on the whole,' Michal Grzes, the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) deputy for Poznan said.

'We didn't pay 37 million zlotys (£8 million) for the largest elephant house in Europe to have a gay elephant live there.

'We were supposed to have a herd, but as Ninio prefers male friends over females how will he produce offspring?'

Ninio was sent to Warsaw Zoo, where he lived for three years, until his aggressive behaviour led to his transfer to a zoo in Budapest before he once again returned to Poznan.

Grzes said that if Ninio does not alter his behaviour and breed, he will become 'dead weight' for the zoo. He is currently being kept separate from the other animals.

However, zookeepers have not lost all hope.

The head of the Poznan zoo said 10-year-old Ninio may be too young to decide whether he prefers males or females as elephants only reach sexual maturity at 14.

Male elephants do engage in same-sex bonding and mounting. Such encounters are often associated with affectionate interactions, such as kissing and trunk intertwining.

Males, who in elephants live apart from the general flock, often form 'companionship's', consisting of an older individual and one or sometimes two younger, attendant males with sexual behaviour being an important part of the social dynamic.

One good side effect for the zoo though is visitors are now said to be flocking to the zoo the catch a glimpse of Ninio, Polish media reported.
 
Okay Dragonelenerd or anyone?. Are there gay elephants?

Seriously why would the zoo take such an Animal? With a history of behaviour issues. Given they have just built a huge impressive looking exhibit? Did the zoo have a say in it? Or studbook decision?
 
Before being moved to Poznan zoo he and his younger male sibling were kept together with a 12 year old female and her 2 year old offspring. Not a good combination.

There is a reason why in nature the herd chases off these young males! Behaviour issues!
 
Read this the other day on elephant.se

quite unusual behaviour but the same thing happened with Pilanesberg National park elephants that had been relocated into a park from Operation Genesis. The park had not had many large and native nerbivours in a long period of time and animals inculding Rhinos and elephants had been relocated there to restart the park up in the sense. The park was left with Just one generation of elephants as rangers killed mothers of juviniles because they had no technology back then to recolate large elephants. And the youngs bulls started to attack and somewhat rape male rhinos. The solution was to bring in some mature bulls from kruger national park to start some Patriachal groups and the killings immediately stopped.
 
I think attempts to mate with anything are normal for juvenile male elephants.

Frankly, I thought it's a joke on supposedly ultra-catholic attitudes in Poland. Similar story in Germany is illustrated by adult Indian elephants.

Well, maybe this encourages city council to get funds to import overdue female elephants from South Africa. ;)
 
Jurek7 said:
Well, maybe this encourages city council to get funds to import overdue female elephants from South Africa. ;)
Click to expand...
Unless these females turn out to be lesbians...:rolleyes::D

Do homosexual elephants exist? Certainly, just as homosexual penguins, giraffes or guinea pigs. Given the dubious conservation "value" of ex-situ zoo breeding programs for the "highly endangered" African Bush Elephant and the problem of finding suitable places for the zoos' growing number of "surplus" elephant bulls, one can only hope that more bulls come out of the closet...
At least we will now have a heightened chance to see pink elephants without being drunk.;)
 
I think any homosexual animal can exist it isn't wrong in any way, just like in humans it's a freedom of their choice.
 
dragon(ele)nerd said:
I think any homosexual animal can exist it isn't wrong in any way, just like in humans it's a freedom of their choice.
Click to expand...


Would have to disagree that homosexuality is a choice in the male of a species.
 
yes sorry, my bad.
It sometimes is a consicious choice, but as we were discussing in class the other day genetics and nature is also a huge part.
 
oh I'm so sorry, :(
I feel that I'm making myself portryed as I have something against the issue. But I don't at all female or male, doesn't matter. Everyone makes their paths in life, if they choose one that is not as common as another that is awesome for them! As long it is not illegal of course.
 
dragon(ele)nerd said:
As long it is not illegal of course.
Click to expand...

@dragon(ele)nerd: Isn't homosexuality illegal in countries like Egypt or Iran? :D You're digging your hole deeper and deeper, mate...;) lol

No, don't worry-I think you didn't step on anybody's toes.
I'm just curious to read about how the Polish conservatives will try to solve this "problem". Maybe they'll send in one of these guys who claim that they can "cure" homosexuality...That will be fun, especially during musth.:D
 
Nice as baby elephants are, I'd pay to see a gay elephant :D It'd certainly be something different, but didn't the keepers say/suggest that it was just "adolescent confusion" or some such?
 
Sun Wukong said:
No, don't worry-I think you didn't step on anybody's toes.
I'm just curious to read about how the Polish conservatives will try to solve this "problem". Maybe they'll send in one of these guys who claim that they can "cure" homosexuality...That will be fun, especially during musth.:D
Click to expand...

Well the first part it relieving to hear thanks. But ahaha yep cure that while their in Musth I'd like to see that!

Jacobea said:
keepers say/suggest that it was just "adolescent confusion" or some such?
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He is 10, highly likely might be something to do with adolescents ( being one myself!) might be reacting in the same way as the elephants in Pilanesberg, how was Nino brought up? I know he was captive born but was he at all seperated by the herd? Surely Yossi would of shown somewhat of a patriach figure if he did have contact with him...
 
I think any animal can be gay, Joe the Gorilla at Twycross could have been, seeing as he showed no interest whatsoever in the females.
 
dragon(ele)nerd said:
genetics and nature is also a huge part.
Click to expand...
I think they're the only part in it, like kids can be bought up by a gay couple but turn out straight and vice versa, I don't think it's a choice at all.
 
is there a possibility it could of simply behaviour and dislike between them??
 
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